Rescue from antique shop - Hub Cap. Idendify?

[greenie]

At $5 each, they seem to be a good deal. OEM, aftermarket- any ideas? Thanks.

[The 55er]

Original 1958 Oldsmobile spinners. That's a good deal!

[avgwarhawk]

Never seen these. Good deal for sure. 

[1937hd45]

[greenie]

They have been rescued. My youngest son, 24, doctorate student at Purdue- spots these in an antique shop in Lafayette, IN. Sends me a picture asking- what do you think? My guess was 1959-62 Oldsmobile. I was close. Turns out there are 3 there, $5 each. Maybe they’ll find their way east by October. 

[rocketraider]

Some of the earliest use of color-coordinated wheel treatments. The worst thing about those is those ridiculous mounting clips they used. 

 

After theft of the original 53-56 Olds spinners became a real problem for owners and insurers, they devised these spring clips to hold the disc to the wheel. It took some time and effort to swipe them, and the clips and lack of retaining teeth made it iffy to install them on most other wheels.

 

There was an added styling "benefit"- the unattractive valve stem was concealed for that smooth look so popular in the 50s and 60s.

 

Tire shops and service stations hated them! I have a 1960 Atlas service guide for independent garages that goes into some detail about removing/installing these discs, and popping them outward to check tire pressure.

[8E45E]

16 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

Some of the earliest use of color-coordinated wheel treatments. The worst thing about those is those ridiculous mounting clips they used. 

Studebaker used color-coordinated hubcaps on the Scotsman series at the time.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Jim Skelly]

9 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Some of the earliest use of color-coordinated wheel treatments. The worst thing about those is those ridiculous mounting clips they used. 

 

After theft of the original 53-56 Olds spinners became a real problem for owners and insurers, they devised these spring clips to hold the disc to the wheel. It took some time and effort to swipe them, and the clips and lack of retaining teeth made it iffy to install them on most other wheels.

 

There was an added styling "benefit"- the unattractive valve stem was concealed for that smooth look so popular in the 50s and 60s.

 

Tire shops and service stations hated them! I have a 1960 Atlas service guide for independent garages that goes into some detail about removing/installing these discs, and popping them outward to check tire pressure.

It sounds like a major inconvenience to check tire pressure and do basic car maintenance!

[bryankazmer]

11 hours ago, 8E45E said:

Studebaker used color-coordinated hubcaps on the Scotsman series at the time.

 

 

I guess the Scots would object to the model today.

The wheel shields used over some wire wheels in the 1930's were painted also.  i imagine chauffeurs were big fans of these to make cleaning easier.

[rocketraider]

[The 55er]

2 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Good info, that about sums it up. Awkward at best, but not too bad once you get the hang of it.  *Footnote*  while we're on this subject. This type of mounting system was used on the Olds Deluxe spinner wheelcovers from 1957-1963. A view of the backside shows a protruding rusty metal ring that's about 10 1/2" in diameter. This ring must be intact and in place because it's what the retaining clips grab to hold the hubcap onto the wheel. If you're looking for caps to actually mount on a car make sure the ring is there, straight, and not terribly rusty. Sometimes if these hubcaps were stored in damp conditions or outdoors in a pile for a long time, the rings are weak or missing and without that ring the hubcap will only serve as a wallhanger.